Compacting press



Sept. 2, 1969 J. A. SMITH COMPACTING PRESS Filed May 19, 196'? N w o m4 m BY ELV/ZLE, Srmssazfosme dlvoFFuAlv,

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,464,089 COMPACTING PRESS Joe A. Smith, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Cincinnati Shaper Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed May 19, 1967, Ser. No. 639,762 Int. Cl. B29c 3/00 U.S. Cl. 1816.7 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improvement upon a floating platen compacting press making possible the use of shelf type dies in the top platen. Spacers are provided between the top and intermediate platens and the stop release means for the intermediate platen are retractable so that the intermediate platen stop is not released before the top platen abuts the spacers. Auxiliary means are then provided to release the stop at the end of the compacting stroke.

Cross reference to related applications This application is related to the disclosure of the Belden Patent No. 3,172,156, dated Mar. 9, 1965. The Belden patent illustrates the basic press to which the present invention is applied. The invention is also related to the Johannigman Patent No. 3,132,378 dated May 12, 1964, which covers the details of the releasable bottom stop.

Background of the invention The invention pertains to the compacting press art and particularly to compacting presses having floating platens for compacting powdered metal into small articles having a stepped configuration.

The prior art is exemplified by the Belden patent above mentioned which discloses the specific compacting press to which the present invention is applied. It is impossible in a press according to the Belden patent to use at the the top platen a shelf-type die because if the top platen floats downward during the compacting stroke, the stop mechanism for the intermediate platen will be released and as the two platens float down together, the stop for the lowermost platen will be released and no compaction will be accomplished.

Summary The present invention provides that the top platen, as it floats down, cannot release the stop for the intermediate platen so that compaction is achieved. Auxiliary means are then provided to release said stop for ejection.

Breif description of the drawing FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the machine according to the aforesaid Belden patent to which the present invention is applied, showing in part the modifications of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the press showing the top and intermediate platens; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the stop releasing mechanism.

Description of the preferred embodiment The press shown in FIG. 1 comprises a frame and an upper casing 11 which houses the drive motor and eccentric mechanism for the punch and the cam mechanism for the downward movement of the platens during ejection. This mechanism may generally be conventional and will not be described herein. The upper die platen is indicated at 13, the intermediate die platen at 14, and the lower die platen at 15. While the description herein will relate specifically to a three platen press, it will be understood that more or less platens may be provided.

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A reciprocating punch is indicated at 16 and a suitable mechanism is provided for moving it downwardly under heavy pressure. This may be accomplished by means of a drive shaft provided with an eccentric or by hydraulic or other suitable means (not shown). The fixed lower punch is indicated at 17 and a core punch 18 may be axially mounted within the fixed punch 17 and may be hydraulically actuated. The platens 14 and 15 are fioatingly mounted on the heavy guide rods 21 and the uppermost die platen 13 is fioatingly supported on the rods 22.

Stop means such as disclosed in the Johannigman patent above mentioned are provided for the platens 14 and 15. The stop means for the platens 14 and 15 are strong enough and rigid enough to withstand the entire load of the press. Means are provided for releasing these stop means at the proper time. In FIG. 1 the stop rods for the platen 14 are indicated at 23 and the stop rods for the platen 15 are indicated at 24. (There are of course two stop rods 24 diametrically disposed with respect to the axis of the machine, just as there are two stop rods 23 diametrically disposed. Preferably the diameter on which the stop rods 14 are disposed is from the diameter on which the stop rods 23 are disposed.) The stop rods 23 are released by means of the members 25 secured to the platen 13 and the stop rods 24 are released by the members 26 which are attached to the platen 14.

In the operation of the press, the ejection rods 25 would normally release the stop rods 23 as the platen 13 floats downwardly. This would prevent the use of a shelf type die in the platen 13. It is necessary, therefore, to prevent the ejection rods 25 from actuating the stop rods 23. This is accomplished by the insertion of the spacer blocks 30. The blocks 30 are secured to the upper face of the platen 14 in a position where they can be abutted by the platen 13 as it floats downwardly. To prevent actuation of the stop rods 23 by the ejection rods 25, the contacting elements 25a of the ejection rods 25 are retracted upwardly such that the face 25b of the member 25a does not abut the plate 31 when the platen 13 contacts the spacer blocks 30.

With the platen 13 in contact with the spacer blocks 30, the platens 13 and 14 will float downwardly together during the balance of the compacting stroke and means must then be provided to release the stop rods 23 and specifically the trigger member 32 for ejection.

This is accomplished by providing in the platen 13 an aperture 13a and in the adjustable member 25a an aperture 25c and in the hold-down cylinder body 25 an aperture 25d. For this purpose the hold-down cylinder body 25 is made wider and somewhat oval in shape as compared to the hold-down cylinder body (not numbered) shown i the Belden patent.

A trigger extension 32a is screwed or otherwise suitably secured to the end of the trigger 32 and it extends upwardly through the apertures 25c, 13a and 25d to a position where it may be abutted by the nut 25e.

It will now be understood that in order to use a shelf type die in the Belden press there have been provided the spacer blocks 30 and the adjustable member 25a of the ejection rod has been retracted to the point where it will not actuate the trigger 32 by the time the platen 13 has contacted the spacer blocks 30 of the platen 14. Thus, the releasable stop means 'for the platen 14 can now take the full load of the press for compaction during which time the platens 13 and 14 float downwardly a small amount. When the compaction step is complete, downward movement of the main ejection rod 25g will produce contact between the nut 25:: and the end of the trigger extension 3211 which will actuate the release of the bottom stop, which stop is disclosed in the aforesaid Johannigman patent. Thereafter ejection takes place as described in the Belden patent.

It will be understood that the only thing which must be done to restore the press to its normal mode of operation as disclosed in the said Belden patent, is to advance the adjustable element 25a so that it will actuate the trigger 32. In this mode of operation, the trigger extension 32 is simply an idler. It should be noted thatcin using FIG. 3 to show the normal mode of operation, it is necessary to envision that the trigger extension 32d has been shortened by adjustment so that it cannot contact the nut 25c and the trigger 32 simultaneously at any position of the platen 13. In the position shown, with the shortened adjustment of the trigger extension 324, the plate 31 would not be depressed, but would be supported by the washer 32a on the trigger 32, so that a gap would exist below the plate 31 instead of above it; Thus, with additional downward movement of the element 25 1, the plate 31 would bear against the washer 32a which, in turn, would actuate the trigger 32 and release the plate in the normal manner.

It will be clear that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and no intension to limit the claims otherwise than as specifically set forth should be assumed.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a multiple platen press having a top platen, an intermediate platen and a bottom platen, the top platen being a floating platen, and the intermediate platen and bottom platen having releasable stop means capable of taking the full load of the press, and the top platen and intermediate platen having adjustable means for actuating said releasable stop means; means enabling the use of a shelf type die in the said top platen, comprising spacer blocks secured to the upper side of said intermediate platen, said adjustable means having a range of adjustment such that they may be retracted to a position in which they will not be effective to actuate said releasable means before said top platen abuts the said spacer blocks on said intermediate platen, whereby the top and intermediate platens float downwardly until they contact the stops for the intermediate platen together during the compacting stroke of the press, extending means secured to said releasable means, and abutment means on the top platen for actuating said releasable means at the conclusion of the compacting stroke.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein apertures are provided in said top platen and said adjustable means and said extension members extend upwardly through said apertures to a position to be abutted by said abutment means at the conclusion of the compacting stroke.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,209,404 7/1940 Lassman 1816.5 X 2,253,003 8/1941 Whillpe 18l6.5 X 2,509,783 5/1950 Richardson 18-16.7 2,810,929 10/1957 Willi 18-16.7 2,821,748 2/1958 Willi 1816.7 2,831,212 4/1958 Belden 1816.7 3,168,759 2/1965 Johannigman 1816.7 3,172,156 3/1965 Belden 1816.7 3,337,916 8/1967 Smith 18--16.7 3,353,215 11/1967 Haller 18--16.7 3,389,432 4/1966 Griesheirner et al. l816.7

J. HOWARD FLINT, JR., Primary Exmainer 

